NL West

News Archive

3/30/2015 |
Walker doesn't flinch against Trout and PujolsOn Monday afternoon at Peoria Sports Complex, the best pitcher in the Cactus League this spring, 22-year-old Mariners right-hander Taijuan Walker, stood tall against Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, two of the best hitters of the last decade.

3/30/2015 |
Red-hot Zunino showing off newfound plate disciplineCatcher Mike Zunino, the other half of Seattle's young battery with Taijuan Walker, continued his own impressive Cactus League season with a home run and key two-run double, raising his batting average to .354 and increasing his team lead in RBIs to 13.

3/30/2015 |
Walker stifles powerful Angels as torrid spring continuesYoung right-hander Taijuan Walker continued his dominant spring for the Mariners by allowing just one run over seven innings and catcher Mike Zunino hit his seventh home run as Seattle beat the Angels, 5-3, on Monday at Peoria Stadium.

3/30/2015 |
McClendon offers preview of Opening Day lineupIf you're curious about Seattle's likely Opening Day lineup, Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon acknowledged Monday's initial starting nine against the Angels in Cactus League play at Peoria Stadium likely mirrors what he would go with in a week when the same two teams square off at Safeco Field to kick off the regular season.

3/30/2015 |
Cruz may hold the key to the Mariners' World Series hopesWhen the Mariners improved by 16 wins last season but still fell one shy of an American League playoff spot, the obvious missing link was a big bat in the middle of the lineup behind Robinson Cano. So when you're looking to a key player for Seattle's success in 2015, it's hard to overlook the imposing presence of newcomer Nelson Cruz.

3/29/2015 |
Mariners scratch Smith due to sore ankleMariners right fielder Seth Smith was scratched from the lineup Sunday with what manager Lloyd McClendon described as a minor injury. Smith tweaked his ankle on a play at the plate a night earlier.

3/28/2015 |
Zunino's pops pace Mariners' offense against GiantsRight fielder Justin Maxwell -- who hit a three-run homer in the fourth -- keyed the Giants' five-run rally in the ninth to edge the Mariners, 9-8, in Cactus League action at Peoria Stadium on Saturday. Mariners catcher Mike Zunino cracked a pair of solo home runs, and third baseman Kyle Seager added another on a mid-90-degree day where the ball was flying.

3/28/2015 |
McClendon makes it official: Felix to start openerJust in case there were any lingering doubts, Lloyd McClendon made it completely official on Saturday: Felix Hernandez will be the Mariners' Opening Day starter on April 6, when Seattle hosts the Angels at Safeco Field.

3/28/2015 |
Paxton healthy, building for regular seasonMariners starter James Paxton lasted just 3 2/3 innings against the Royals on a Friday night in which he struggled with his command, but the positive side is he feels 100 percent healthy.

3/27/2015 |
Paxton, Mariners miss mark against RoyalsJames Paxton yielded two earned runs in 3 2/3 innings of his second spring start, while Tyler Smith belted an RBI single for the Mariners in a 5-1 loss to the Royals on Friday night.

3/27/2015 |
McClendon holding off naming No. 5 starterTaijuan Walker is scheduled to start again on Monday against the Angels, while Roenis Elias likely is slated for a Minor League outing in his next appearance. But manager Lloyd McClendon still wasn't ready to pronounce Walker as his fifth starter on Friday.

3/27/2015 |
Rule 5 pick Rollins suspended 80 games for PEDsLeft-hander David Rollins, a Rule 5 Draft pick who was in the hunt for one of the final roster spots with the Mariners, was suspended 80 games on Friday for testing positive for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

3/27/2015 |
MLB Pipeline checks in from Mariners campPlenty of right-handed pop is starting to percolate through the Mariners' farm system. Seattle has spent its last three first-round picks -- and $10,959,100 -- on righty sluggers Zunino, D.J. Peterson and Alex Jackson.

3/26/2015 |
Elias, Mariners roughed up by Brewers' batsBrewers left fielder Khris Davis made his first Spring Training home run count Thursday, hitting a first-inning grand slam that one-hopped its way clear out of Maryvale Baseball Park in the Brewers' 15-1 victory over the Mariners. Davis connected against Mariners left-hander Roenis Elias, who surrendered six earned runs on eight hits over three-plus innings.

3/26/2015 |
Felix turns in solid outing against RoyalsMariners ace Felix Hernandez threw six strong innings while allowing just two hits and one run Thursday, but Royals veteran right-hander Jeremy Guthrie was even better with 5 2/3 scoreless frames in a 3-0 Cactus League pitchers' duel, won by Kansas City, at Peoria Stadium.

3/26/2015 |
Mariners' bullpen battle remains wide openWhile much of the focus on Mariners pitching this spring has swirled around the fifth-starter competition between Taijuan Walker and Roenis Elias, there is an even deeper and heated competition for relief spots on a club that posted the lowest bullpen ERA in baseball in 2014.

3/25/2015 |
McClendon thinking about Weeks sharing leadoff roleLloyd McClendon has endorsed center fielder Austin Jackson as a leadoff hitter ever since Seattle acquired him from the Tigers at last July's Trade Deadline, but the Mariners' skipper is toying with trying Rickie Weeks in that role at times this season as well.

3/25/2015 |
Walker: Always room to improve despite dominant springIt's hard to imagine Taijuan Walker pitching much better or doing much more to impress in his battle for the Mariners' fifth-starter position, but the 22-year-old insists there's more in the tank even after running his scoreless streak to 18 innings this spring in Wednesday night's 3-2 victory over the Cubs.